Building awareness and harm reduction strategies to address vaping risks

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have become a growing health concern among both youth and adults. Rise in vaping-associated lung injury underscores the consequences of the ENDS usage under certain conditions. In response, stakeholders including researchers and public health regulators have launched awareness initiatives to highlight the hazards of vaping and promote harm reduction strategies. Within harm reduction frameworks, several strategies exist including vaping behavior assessments and monitoring, engineering controls, and limiting the variety of ENDS and e-liquid formats and formulations. From an engineering perspective, controls could be implemented to limit puff size, monitor e-liquid consumption, and explore attachable filters to reduce inhalation risks. Additionally, reducing the availability of flavored e-liquids and restricting modifications could minimize their appeal to youth. Marketing strategies should clearly communicate the harms of vaping devices through informative text, images, and digital campaigns. Additionally, warning labels should be placed directly on the devices, not just on packaging, to constantly remind users of the associated risks. This review which is a part of the Special Issue Science Education and Research on Vaping and Interventions for Community Engagement examines the challenges of vaping cessation methods and explores how stakeholders, users, manufacturers, and policymakers can contribute to vaping harm reduction.